Trump, Macron hint at new Iran n-deal

Washington, April 25 (IANS) US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have suggested there could be a new agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, media reports said.

The visiting French President on Tuesday proposed to work with other parties to forge the new deal amid bilateral divergences on several issues remaining, as his state visit drew to a close, Xinhua news agency reported.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Trump, Macron said the current Iran nuke deal, internationally known as the JCPOA signed in 2015, was not “sufficient”.

However, it still “enabled us, at least until 2025, to have some control over their nuclear activities”, he added, saying: “We therefore wish, from now on, to work on a new deal with Iran.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was quoted as saying that Tehran would “most likely” abandon the accord if the US pulled out.

Macron agreed that Tehran’s influence in the region must be part of negotiations. He stressed that the 2015 deal controls Iran’s nuclear programme for the next decade, but the fresh deal must cover its nuclear activities longer-term, the BBC said.

Macron also talked about working with Trump to build a “new framework” in the Middle East — and especially in Syria.

The French President said he did not know whether Trump would extend the May 12 deadline, adding: “I can say that we have had very frank discussions on that, just the two of us.”